The best advice you don’t want to hear

Whether you’ve finished university, fresh faced and eager, or jumped into the workforce straight out of school, you’ll want success almost instantly. There’s something unique about young go-getters, that they just can’t wait to clamber on board the career bandwagon and launch their entrepreneurial futures. The endearing energy they bring to the job, and the way they just want to crawl and slide all the way to the top, no excuses. Well, young jobseekers, we have some of the best advice for you, except that you don’t want to hear it. If you want to hear things like “work harder than your boss and you’ll soon be the boss”, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Here we have the single best advice you don’t want to hear as a fresh-faced grad student. If you want to keep your naive optimism, stop reading now, but if you want a dose of reality to keep you grounded in your first post-grad job, read on. Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the best advice you probably don’t want to hear. Enjoy.

The best advice… you don’t want to hear

The best advice, you ask? Go on then, share it around. Well, you’re probably not going to like it, but this piece of advice will be the best advice you can take on board to boost your long-term success in the workforce. Here it is: “Do the jobs no one else wants to do.” Yes indeed, that is the advice I’m calling the best advice, and let me tell you why. Not only does it show your commitment and passion, but it makes you work to your full potential, despite having the less-than-desirable end of the stick. Bosses will notice your drive, and will reward you in time. You just need to prove you’re willing to work without the promise of a reward, which is the best work ethic you can give an employer. These top tips will get you through the early stages of your career, and I stand by this being the best advice, despite you possibly not wanting to hear it.

Do the unpopular jobs yourself. It might be the most tedious job in the company, but believe me, karma will repay you for it. By doing jobs without being asked or without praise or acknowledgement, you’re letting people know that it isn’t about the reward. All those suck-up-to-the-boss types, who chase your employer around with their head up you know where – the boss sees right through them. But when they notice you working to your full potential, without bribes or promises of a promotion, they see dedication, and they appreciate that. If you get stuck with a job as a filing clerk, the best advice is to be the best filing clerk there ever was. I promise you, the big guns will notice you soon.

Lead by example. As much as it might hurt, the best advice is to suck it up and do all of those menial jobs everyone else hates. When colleagues see you doing these jobs – without complaining and without delay – you inevitably gain their respect. This is the kind of workplace you want to be building, and as you work your way up, its these kinds of people you want working for you.

Launch a business in unpopular industries. The ‘sexy’ businesses are those giant crazes that everybody suddenly wants a piece of. But these fads die fast, and tend to be oversubscribed to, so steer clear and watch your success grow while theirs crumbles. The less popular industries will have the least competition, the highest margins and the greatest potential for growth and expansion. The best advice just got better!

Promote selfless employees. You know those people who give before they get? Those ones. When you acknowledge and praise this kind of work, you’re collecting employees who work hard for no other reason other than they want to. You’ve taken the best advice of doing the crummy jobs, and now you’ve worked your way up the ladder. It’s your turn to recognise and reward the employees who have an inclination to tackle the tough jobs without being asked or bribed in some way.

This may or may not be the best advice you’ve ever read, but I like to think it is. Working hard without need for a reward, keeping your passion alive and building a business of like-minded people, all stem from this piece of advice, and all end up with you on top. Employers aren’t stupid – they were in your position once too – so they remember what it’s like to be stuck at the bottom, clinging to the last wrung on the career ladder. Have patience and dedication, take the best advice on board, and everything will be coming up roses.